Vincent and the Doctor

I haven't commented on a Doctor Who episode in a while, which is a shame, but then I didn't have much to say until this one.

Thing is, most of the last few episodes have left me cold. It's not that I didn't like them, I found them really enjoyable, but I didn't love them and I was a bit sad because I felt like I'd moved on from my Who love.

But this episode is the one that has effected me most since The Eleventh Hour (little Amy sitting and waiting for the Doctor gets me every freaking time).

I'll stick my hand up and say that I've been effected by someone close to me suffering from depression of the incapable of getting out of bed and contemplating suicide level and as a result I was sceptical about how Who would deal with the subject, whether there would be lip service, whether it would be skirted around.

I will forever love this episode for tackling it head on. For showing van Gogh that he would be appreciated in the future, making all his dreams as an artist come true, and then having him still take his own life. Because he was ill, and there's no easy fix. Cheering a person with depression up will not cure them and that's the hardest thing to understand.

Thank you, Who, Curtis, Moff and everybody else involved.

So other things I loved:1. The set design was amazing. Seeing those paintings as real places was magnificent. Van Gogh is my favourite painter and this episode was a real treat. 2. Bill Nighy! He's so fantastic. Such a small part, but utterly perfect. 3. Loved the pop song. I was wondering what Richard Curtis would bring to Who, of course it was a pop song playing over the climax. 4. Tony Curran was fantastic as Van Gogh. 5. I totally ship Van Gogh/Amy6. Amy and the sunflowers, that the cutest thing. 7. The Doctor's Rory guilt was heartbreaking. I actually felt this episode dealt with it better than the last episode. 8. The scene, when the night sky changed into swirls before their eyes, it was beautiful. 9. And just, the scene, with Bill Nighy's character's speech, with Van Gogh crying, surrounded by his paintings...maybe it was overly sentimental, but for me it was just right.